The NCAA News - News and Features
The NCAA News -- June 7, 1999
Postseason crowds fuel increased attendance
28.7 million fans attend NCAA men's basketball games
BY GARY K. JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER
 More people saw this year's Division I men's basketball tournament in person than ever before -- and those record crowds helped boost national men's basketball season attendance for a second straight year.
Larger domes and arenas helped meet the high demand for tournament tickets as a record 720,685 fans saw games, which eclipsed the old mark of 707,719 set in 1993. The tournament average of 21,197 fans per game also set a new standard.
Because of the postseason peak and the addition of five new teams to Division I, national attendance rose more than one-half million as 23,815,296 spectators attended games involving Division I teams during the 1998-99 season. It marked the 11th consecutive year that Division I attendance topped the 23-million mark.
For all three divisions, a total of 31 new NCAA schools increased total attendance to 28,732,813 fans, up by 701,021 over last season. Again, it was the second consecutive increase after four straight years of decline. Overall attendance has been above the 28-million mark in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
Big Ten repeat
For the second straight season, the Big Ten Conference set a new standard for conference attendance as 2,204,556 fans streamed through the turnstiles during the 1998-99 season for a 13,361 per-game average. The Big Ten had set the previous mark last season at 2,166,264.
The Big Ten has won every conference attendance title for the past 23 years. The only year in which a conference other than the Big Ten won the attendance title was in 1976 -- the first year in which the NCAA tracked attendance records -- when the Atlantic Coast Conference claimed the title.
The Southeastern Conference jumped ahead of the ACC to claim the second spot in 1998-99 with an average of 10,776 fans per game. The ACC was the only other conference to top the 10,000 per-game mark with 10,253. Conference USA moved up two spots to take fourth place, followed by the Big East and the Big 12 Conferences.
Three conferences set league records -- the Pacific-10 Conference with 1,409,587 fans, the Atlantic 10 Conference with 1,082,316 and the Mid-American Conference with 647,647. Both the Pac-10 and Atlantic 10 also set new per-game-average standards.
Kentucky quad
For the fourth straight year, Kentucky led the nation in home attendance among individual teams. The Wildcats totaled 303,771 fans and averaged 23,367 spectators over 13 games in Rupp Arena.
Two teams topped Kentucky's total number of fans but played more games for a lower per-game average. Syracuse totaled 332,801 people at the Carrier Dome and averaged 20,800 over 16 games to finish second, and New Mexico played 20 home games in the Pit and brought in 347,721 fans for a 17,386 average and a sixth-place ranking.
Kentucky also led in attendance for all games, as the Wildcats were seen by 737,738 spectators at home, road and neutral-site games. Behind the Wildcats were all four Final Four teams -- Ohio State, Michigan State, Duke and national champion Connecticut. The 1989 Syracuse squad set the all-time record at 855,053.
Twenty-eight Division I teams generated an increase in attendance of more than 1,000 fans per game from the previous year. Ohio State's won-lost record improved from 8-22 in 1997-98 to 27-9 in 1998-99 and it showed at the gate as the Buckeyes averaged 7,253 more fans per game than the previous year. Houston's new coach Clyde Drexler helped boost attendance in Hofheinz Pavilion as the Cougars showed an increase of 5,641 spectators per game, and DePaul improved to 5,390 more fans per contest at the Rosemont Horizon.
Four other schools with a 2,000 or more increase were Stanford (up 3,354 fans a game), Miami (Ohio) (2,541), Wisconsin (2,435) and Auburn (2,158).
Divisions II and III
Kentucky Wesleyan jumped from fourth place last year to claim its first Division II attendance title with 4,247 spectators a game. The winner of the previous three seasons, South Dakota State, took second by attracting 3,832 fans per game.
Hope returned to the top spot as the Division III attendance leader with 2,440 spectators per game, edging out Calvin's 2,284 and 1998 champion Illinois Wesleyan's 2,245. Hope had won attendance titles in 1996, 1991 and 1984.
The top conference in Division II for the 19th consecutive year was the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 299,228 spectators and a 2,050 average.
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association topped all Division III conferences with a 957 average per game to take its eighth consecutive attendance title. The total attendance title went to the Middle Atlantic Conference, whose 16 teams totaled 109,525 spectators.
1998-99 men's basketball attendance
|
Total |
Games or |
1999 |
|
Change |
Change
|
|
Teams |
Sessions |
Attendance |
Average |
In Total |
In Avg.
|
| Home Attendance, NCAA Division I |
*310 |
*4,115 |
21,393,034 |
5,199 |
321,030 |
6
|
| NCAA Championship Tournament |
|
34 |
*720,685 |
*21,197 |
38,155 |
1,123
|
| Other Division I Neutral-Site Attendance |
|
*197 |
*1,701,577 |
8,637 |
173,337 |
-197
|
| NCAA DIVISION I TOTALS |
*310 |
*4,346 |
23,815,296 |
5,480 |
532,522 |
21
|
| Home Attendance, NCAA Division II |
*266 |
*3,436 |
3,063,436 |
892 |
87,016 |
-15
|
| Home Attendance, NCAA Division III |
*350 |
*4,094 |
1,824,391 |
446 |
87,982 |
-1
|
| Neutral-Site Attendance for Divisions II & III |
|
11 |
10,957 |
996 |
-- |
--
|
| NCAA Division II Tournament Neutral Sites |
|
4 |
10,400 |
2,600 |
-- |
--
|
| NCAA Division III Tournament Neutral Sites |
|
2 |
8,420 |
4,210 |
-- |
--
|
| NATIONAL TOTALS FOR 1999 |
*926 |
*11,893 |
28,732,900 |
2,416 |
701,021 |
-29
|
* Record high.
NOTES: Most of the Division II and III tournament games are played on the home courts of participating teams. The total attendance for the Division II tournament was 49,144 for a 1,755 average over 28 sessions. The Division III tournament was 53,928 for an 1,284 average over 42 sessions.
1998-99 men's conferences
|
Division I |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Teams |
Gms. or Sess. |
1999 Attend. |
Avg. |
Change in Avg. |
Total Sess. |
Total Attend. |
Avg. |
| 1. |
Big Ten |
11 |
165 |
**2,204,556 |
13,361 |
911 |
5 |
98,753 |
19,751
|
| 2. |
Southeastern |
12 |
186 |
2,004,425 |
10,776 |
-208 |
6 |
125,554 |
20,926
|
| 3. |
Atlantic Coast |
9 |
143 |
1,466,109 |
10,253 |
-839 |
5 |
119,475 |
23,895
|
| 4. |
Conference USA |
12 |
177 |
1,688,509 |
9,540 |
597 |
6 |
47,366 |
7,894
|
| 5. |
Big East |
13 |
202 |
1,903,782 |
9,425 |
-135 |
6 |
106,438 |
17,740
|
| 6. |
Big 12 |
12 |
185 |
1,595,379 |
8,624 |
-342 |
6 |
81,300 |
13,550
|
| 7. |
Pacific 10 |
10 |
167 |
*1,409,587 |
*8,441 |
829 |
-- |
-- |
--
|
| 8. |
Western Athletic |
16 |
255 |
1,950,424 |
7,649 |
-246 |
6 |
47,646 |
7,941
|
| 9. |
Atlantic 10 |
12 |
166 |
*1,082,316 |
*6,520 |
123 |
6 |
52,053 |
8,676
|
| 10. |
Missouri Valley |
10 |
146 |
929,950 |
6,370 |
-191 |
5 |
47,885 |
9,577
|
| 11. |
Midwestern |
8 |
108 |
430,777 |
3,989 |
746 |
4 |
20,616 |
5,154
|
| 12. |
Big West |
12 |
160 |
637,995 |
3,987 |
-76 |
4 |
11,132 |
2,783
|
| 13. |
Colonial |
9 |
119 |
465,913 |
3,915 |
-171 |
5 |
27,097 |
5,419
|
| 14. |
Mid-American# |
13 |
170 |
*647,647 |
3,810 |
-157 |
6 |
29,224 |
4,871
|
| 15. |
Ohio Valley |
10 |
131 |
394,457 |
3,011 |
27 |
6 |
23,050 |
3,842
|
| 16. |
Sun Belt# |
8 |
94 |
274,030 |
2,915 |
-293 |
5 |
15,830 |
3,166
|
| 17. |
Big Sky# |
9 |
118 |
311,608 |
2,641 |
-221 |
3 |
19,957 |
6,652
|
| 18. |
Southern# |
12 |
161 |
400,400 |
2,487 |
148 |
6 |
19,411 |
3,235
|
| 19. |
Mid-Continent# |
8 |
113 |
279,630 |
2,475 |
-19 |
3 |
7,850 |
2,617
|
| 20. |
West Coast |
8 |
101 |
237,852 |
2,355 |
15 |
4 |
15,371 |
3,843
|
| 21. |
Metro Atlantic |
10 |
128 |
288,324 |
2,253 |
-358 |
5 |
26,445 |
5,289
|
| 22. |
Ivy |
8 |
93 |
203,336 |
2,186 |
187 |
-- |
-- |
--
|
| 23. |
Southwestern# |
9 |
106 |
214,747 |
2,026 |
-156 |
6 |
16,876 |
2,813
|
| 24. |
Mid-Eastern |
11 |
121 |
223,185 |
1,845 |
-44 |
6 |
22,876 |
3,813
|
| 25. |
America East |
10 |
118 |
211,958 |
1,796 |
184 |
5 |
21,971 |
4,394
|
| 26. |
Trans America# |
11 |
132 |
204,940 |
1,553 |
166 |
4 |
7,818 |
1,955
|
| 27. |
Southland# |
11 |
133 |
204,588 |
1,538 |
303 |
3 |
4,931 |
1,644
|
| 28. |
Big South# |
6 |
76 |
109,946 |
1,447 |
-43 |
3 |
7,578 |
2,526
|
| 29. |
Patriot |
7 |
87 |
124,869 |
1,435 |
-189 |
3 |
7,096 |
2,365
|
| 30. |
Northeast# |
11 |
138 |
165,285 |
1,198 |
94 |
4 |
8,494 |
2,124
|
|
Independents# |
2 |
21 |
38,913 |
1,853 |
0 |
-- |
-- |
--
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Record high for that conference. ** All-time high for any conference. # Different lineups in 1998.
NOTE: Entire season total attendance includes the conference tournaments.
Division II
|
|
Total Teams |
Games or Sess. |
1999 Attend. |
Average |
Change in Avg.
|
| 1. |
North Central |
10 |
146 |
299,228 |
2,050 |
-175
|
| 2. |
CIAA |
12 |
129 |
191,297 |
1,483 |
108
|
| 3. |
SIAC |
12 |
141 |
199,830 |
1,417 |
52
|
| 4. |
Mid-America |
11 |
154 |
214,594 |
1,393 |
194
|
| 5. |
Northern Sun |
7 |
86 |
114,207 |
1,328 |
-26
|
| 6. |
Great Lakes Valley |
12 |
166 |
213,958 |
1,289 |
-31
|
| 7. |
Lone Star |
16 |
207 |
225,351 |
1,089 |
5
|
| 8. |
California |
12 |
168 |
170,783 |
1,017 |
153
|
| 9. |
Pacific West |
13 |
183 |
185,196 |
1,012 |
-208
|
| 10. |
Rocky Mountain |
14 |
180 |
163,647 |
909 |
-116
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Division III
|
|
Total Teams |
Games or Sess. |
1999 Attend. |
Average |
Change in Avg. |
| 1. |
Michigan |
8 |
91 |
87,055 |
957 |
16
|
| 2. |
Illinois & Wisconsin |
8 |
93 |
82,771 |
890 |
-18
|
| 3. |
Wisconsin State |
9 |
112 |
83,839 |
749 |
16
|
| 4. |
Iowa |
11 |
131 |
89,949 |
687 |
94
|
| 5. |
Heartland Coll. |
8 |
106 |
71,354 |
673 |
--
|
| 6. |
Minnesota |
11 |
127 |
84,168 |
663 |
-64
|
| 7. |
Northwest |
7 |
79 |
50,726 |
642 |
--
|
| 8. |
Ohio |
10 |
127 |
78,397 |
617 |
-69
|
| 9. |
North Coast |
9 |
107 |
64,465 |
602 |
-21
|
| 10. |
Middle Atlantic |
16 |
198 |
109,525 |
553 |
-44
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1998-99 attendance team leaders
Division I
|
|
G |
Attend. |
Average
|
| 1. |
Kentucky |
13 |
303,771 |
23,367
|
| 2. |
Syracuse |
16 |
332,801 |
20,800
|
| 3. |
North Carolina |
14 |
270,307 |
19,308
|
| 4. |
Louisville |
14 |
266,767 |
19,055
|
| 5. |
Arkansas |
16 |
292,704 |
18,294
|
| 6. |
New Mexico |
20 |
347,721 |
17,386
|
| 7. |
Ohio St. |
15 |
258,348 |
17,223
|
| 8. |
Kansas |
13 |
211,600 |
16,277
|
| 9. |
Tennessee |
15 |
236,950 |
15,797
|
| 10. |
Wisconsin |
13 |
205,006 |
15,770
|
| 11. |
Indiana |
14 |
214,588 |
15,328
|
| 12. |
St. Louis |
15 |
227,126 |
15,142
|
| 13. |
Minnesota |
16 |
235,343 |
14,709
|
| 14. |
Michigan St. |
14 |
204,272 |
14,591
|
| 15. |
Maryland |
14 |
202,635 |
14,474
|
| 16. |
Arizona |
14 |
200,885 |
14,349
|
| 17. |
Iowa |
15 |
212,595 |
14,173
|
| 18. |
Purdue |
16 |
225,968 |
14,123
|
| 19. |
Utah |
14 |
195,813 |
13,987
|
| 20. |
Memphis |
16 |
222,605 |
13,913
|
| 21. |
UNLV |
16 |
213,550 |
13,347
|
| 22. |
Connecticut |
15 |
200,172 |
13,345
|
| 23. |
Illinois |
13 |
171,246 |
13,173
|
| 24. |
Cincinnati |
14 |
181,671 |
12,977
|
| 25. |
Missouri |
16 |
204,676 |
12,792
|
| 26. |
Vanderbilt |
16 |
192,538 |
12,034
|
| 27. |
Dayton |
15 |
179,625 |
11,975
|
| 28. |
Marquette |
16 |
190,446 |
11,903
|
| 29. |
Michigan |
13 |
144,809 |
11,139
|
| 30. |
North Carolina St. |
19 |
205,201 |
10,800
|
| 31. |
Penn St. |
14 |
148,891 |
10,635
|
| 32. |
California |
18 |
188,670 |
10,482
|
| 33. |
Oklahoma |
15 |
153,724 |
10,248
|
| 34. |
Fresno St. |
17 |
173,354 |
10,197
|
| 35. |
Iowa St. |
15 |
152,134 |
10,142
|
| 36. |
UCLA |
16 |
162,080 |
10,130
|
| 37. |
Stanford |
33 |
332,900 |
10,088
|
| 38. |
Providence |
15 |
150,022 |
10,001
|
| 39. |
Wake Forest |
16 |
159,318 |
9,957
|
| 40. |
Brigham Young |
14 |
137,321 |
9,809
|
| 41. |
Texas |
13 |
127,038 |
9,772
|
| 42. |
Clemson |
17 |
165,508 |
9,736
|
| 43. |
Xavier |
16 |
152,646 |
9,540
|
| 44. |
Bradley |
15 |
142,980 |
9,532
|
| 45. |
Duke |
14 |
130,396 |
9,314
|
| 46. |
St. John's (N.Y.) |
18 |
166,838 |
9,269
|
| 47. |
DePaul |
15 |
137,759 |
9,184
|
| 48. |
Kansas St. |
17 |
156,072 |
9,181
|
| 49. |
Nebraska |
16 |
146,653 |
9,166
|
| 50. |
Florida |
15 |
135,276 |
9,018
|
| 51. |
Seton Hall |
15 |
132,510 |
8,834
|
| 52. |
Georgetown |
15 |
131,256 |
8,750
|
| 53. |
Evansville |
13 |
111,625 |
8,587
|
| 54. |
Villanova |
15 |
128,106 |
8,540
|
| 55. |
Houston |
12 |
101,748 |
8,479
|
| 56. |
South Carolina |
14 |
116,355 |
8,311
|
| 57. |
Notre Dame |
16 |
132,761 |
8,298
|
| 58. |
Auburn |
15 |
123,881 |
8,259
|
| 59. |
Boise St. |
12 |
95,857 |
7,988
|
| 60. |
Oregon |
17 |
135,398 |
7,965
|
| 61. |
Temple |
12 |
95,101 |
7,925
|
| 62. |
Tulsa |
14 |
110,139 |
7,867
|
| 63. |
Hawaii |
19 |
149,351 |
7,861
|
| 64. |
LSU |
16 |
123,941 |
7,746
|
| 65. |
Southwest Mo. St. |
15 |
114,688 |
7,646
|
| 66. |
Rutgers |
17 |
127,940 |
7,526
|
| 67. |
Texas Tech |
15 |
112,235 |
7,482
|
| 68. |
Illinois St. |
16 |
118,358 |
7,397
|
| 69. |
New Mexico St. |
13 |
96,066 |
7,390
|
| 70. |
UTEP |
18 |
132,599 |
7,367
|
| 71. |
Wichita St. |
15 |
110,372 |
7,358
|
| 72. |
Alabama |
14 |
101,605 |
7,258
|
| 73. |
Massachusetts |
13 |
94,124 |
7,240
|
| 74. |
Utah St. |
15 |
107,067 |
7,138
|
| 75. |
Wyoming |
14 |
93,842 |
6,703
|
| 76. |
Washington |
13 |
87,093 |
6,699
|
| 77. |
UNC Charlotte |
13 |
86,790 |
6,676
|
| 78. |
Georgia Tech |
14 |
92,878 |
6,634
|
| 79. |
Virginia |
15 |
99,364 |
6,624
|
| 80. |
Arkansas St. |
12 |
79,397 |
6,616
|
| 81. |
Oregon St. |
14 |
91,541 |
6,539
|
| 82. |
Arizona St. |
16 |
102,473 |
6,405
|
| 83. |
Miami (Ohio) |
12 |
76,817 |
6,401
|
| 84. |
Siena |
13 |
82,320 |
6,332
|
| 85. |
Florida St. |
14 |
88,449 |
6,318
|
| 86. |
Rhode Island |
14 |
87,401 |
6,243
|
| 87. |
Pittsburgh |
14 |
86,433 |
6,174
|
| 88. |
Ohio |
14 |
85,376 |
6,098
|
| 89. |
West Virginia |
13 |
78,933 |
6,072
|
| 90. |
Indiana St. |
13 |
78,787 |
6,061
|
| 91. |
Weber St. |
14 |
84,104 |
6,007
|
| 92. |
Oklahoma St. |
14 |
83,522 |
5,966
|
| 93. |
Texas Christian |
18 |
106,912 |
5,940
|
| 94. |
Georgia |
16 |
93,442 |
5,840
|
| 95. |
Miami (Fla.) |
13 |
75,560 |
5,812
|
| 96. |
Toledo |
16 |
91,140 |
5,696
|
| 97. |
Marshall |
13 |
73,305 |
5,639
|
| 98. |
Ball St. |
13 |
73,185 |
5,630
|
| 99. |
Princeton |
11 |
61,306 |
5,573
|
| 100. |
Butler |
16 |
88,504 |
5,532
|
|
|
|
|
|
All games (home, road, neutral)
| 1. |
Kentucky |
737,738
|
| 2. |
Ohio St. |
601,779
|
| 3. |
Michigan St. |
588,307
|
| 4. |
Duke |
581,050
|
| 5. |
Connecticut |
578,370
|
| 6. |
North Carolina |
537,950
|
| 7. |
Syracuse |
525,679
|
| 8. |
Arkansas |
503,130
|
| 9. |
New Mexico |
490,442
|
| 10. |
Purdue |
488,107
|
| 11. |
Kansas |
474,960
|
| 12. |
Maryland |
473,626
|
| 13. |
Indiana |
470,089
|
| 14. |
Illinois |
440,055
|
| 15. |
Louisville |
430,156
|
| 16. |
Wisconsin |
430,028
|
| 17. |
Tennessee |
430,000
|
| 18. |
Cincinnati |
428,740
|
| 19. |
Iowa |
426,044
|
| 20. |
St. John's (N.Y.) |
417,709
|
|
|
|
Largest Division average attendance increase from previous year:
|
|
G |
1997-98 Avg. |
1998-99 Avg. |
Chng. in Avg. |
| 1. |
Ohio St. |
15 |
17,223 |
9,970 |
7,253
|
| 2. |
Houston |
12 |
8,479 |
2,838 |
5,641
|
| 3. |
DePaul |
15 |
9,184 |
3,794 |
5,390
|
| 4. |
Stanford |
33 |
10,088 |
6,734 |
3,354
|
| 5. |
Miami (Ohio) |
12 |
6,401 |
3,860 |
2,541
|
| 6. |
Wisconsin |
13 |
15,770 |
13,335 |
2,435
|
| 7. |
Auburn |
15 |
8,259 |
6,101 |
2,158
|
| 8. |
Cincinnati |
14 |
12,977 |
11,009 |
1,968
|
| 9. |
Cleveland St. |
14 |
3,846 |
1,997 |
1,849
|
| 10. |
Tex.-Pan American |
9 |
3,111 |
1,364 |
1,747
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Division II
|
|
G/S |
Attendance |
Average
|
| 1. |
Ky. Wesleyan |
16 |
67,950 |
4,247
|
| 2. |
South Dakota St. |
15 |
57,485 |
3,832
|
| 3. |
Cal St. Bakersfield |
16 |
52,456 |
3,279
|
| 4. |
Morehouse |
12 |
38,768 |
3,231
|
| 5. |
North Dakota St. |
15 |
47,696 |
3,180
|
| 6. |
Northern St. |
17 |
50,665 |
2,980
|
| 7. |
North Dakota |
14 |
38,374 |
2,741
|
| 8. |
Neb.-Kearney |
14 |
37,161 |
2,654
|
| 9. |
Augustana (S.D.) |
16 |
41,350 |
2,584
|
| 10. |
Pittsburg St. |
17 |
43,697 |
2,570
|
| 11. |
UC Davis |
15 |
38,513 |
2,568
|
| 12. |
Alas. Anchorage |
16 |
39,637 |
2,477
|
| 13. |
Southern Ind. |
15 |
35,500 |
2,367
|
| 14. |
Winston-Salem |
12 |
28,138 |
2,345
|
| 15. |
South Dakota |
15 |
34,968 |
2,331
|
|
|
|
|
|
Division III
|
|
G/S |
Attendance |
Average |
| 1. |
Hope |
12 |
29,280 |
2,440
|
| 2. |
Calvin |
11 |
25,126 |
2,284
|
| 3. |
Ill. Wesleyan |
11 |
24,700 |
2,245
|
| 4. |
Wartburg |
13 |
23,164 |
1,782
|
| 5. |
Fisk |
10 |
16,700 |
1,670
|
| 6. |
Otterbein |
14 |
22,901 |
1,636
|
| 7. |
Wilkes |
14 |
22,000 |
1,571
|
| 8. |
Gust. Adolphus |
12 |
17,966 |
1,497
|
| 9. |
Wheaton (Ill.) |
13 |
19,300 |
1,485
|
| 10. |
Wis.-Platteville |
13 |
19,100 |
1,469
|
| 11. |
Stillman |
13 |
18,213 |
1,401
|
| 12. |
Grinnell |
9 |
11,500 |
1,278
|
| 13. |
Denison |
11 |
13,307 |
1,210
|
| 14. |
Lebanon Valley |
17 |
20,400 |
1,200
|
| 15. |
Linfield |
12 |
13,900 |
1,158 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
